'Erasmian European Youth Parliament' (EEYP)
HAMBURG 2016
17-22 November November
ITALIAN DELEGATION
S.I.E.S. A.SPINELLI
CHAIMA AKROUM - ELENA FARINOLA - MARTA FOSSATI - RACHEL NOACH (chairwoman) - ROSSELLA RODIO - LUCREZIA RUBINI - MARTINA SCLAVERANO - HIND SERKOUH
rachel billie noa
The EEYP started in Rotterdam in 2008 as a pilot-project. Since then, the Foundation Erasmian European Youth Parliament has organized the EEYP in a different European city. EEYP has proudly been hosted by Rotterdam (2009-2013), Turin (2010), Antwerp (2011), Braga (2012), Praga (2014), Davos (2015), Rotterdam and Hamburg (2016 ) We look forward to the upcoming EEYP in Girona (feb.2017)
The Erasmian European Youth Parliament (EEYP) raises young people’s awareness of the role they can play within the European community. Most importantly, the EEYP aims to be an international and educational project, where social skills improve and knowledge is expanded. Furthermore, the EEYP inspires young people to think beyond their own references and to develop a vision about the 'Europe of the future'.
The EEYP 2016 has been designed for approximately 80 participating students aged 15-18 years old who come from at least eight different European countries. Schools from the various countries are invited to participate by sending a delegation of students, who are selected and prepared by their teachers. Once at the EEYP the students become a 'delegate', a 'chair' or a 'Presidium-member' and work in international teams also known as the 'committees'.
At the EEYP each 'committee' identifies a problem which is recognized by all the nationalities in the committee. Next they discuss possible acceptable solutions to all country Youth Parliament representatives. The purpose of this part of the program is for students to recognize that these issues are actual and current 'European problems' which can be solved best by cooperation on a European level. During this process the students learn from each other's knowledge and experience; no results can be reached without solid teamwork. 'Second generation' EEYP students and the chairs play an important role in transferring the project and the European way of thinking to a new generation of students.
Another important element of the EEYP is the active involvement of professionals: politicians, captains of industry and other experts. The 'Meet the Boss' event during the EEYP is one of the highlights of the program.
The EEYP lasts five and a half days whereby four of the days are spent on discussions, research, writing resolutions and speeches. One day and a half are spent on the General Assembly. During the General Assembly the final results, the written resolutions, are presented. The debates are unfailingly interesting showing the motivation and enthusiasm of the students. At the closing ceremony the resolutions are handed over to representatives of the city council and European politicians.
da vari anni la SIES A.Spinelli
partecipa con una delegazione di suoi studenti
alle sezioni del EEYP
e ultimamente del EEY
EEurope – a Safe and Secure Haven?!
The End of History’ is the title of the bestselling book by US political-scientist Francis Fukuyama.
In his book, he claims that after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its depending states, liberalism in forms of democracy and free market economy would be established once and for all in the entire world. History, according to Fukuyama, would come to an end.
Now, 24-years later, this claim seems to have proven wrong. Many people experience today’s world as a time of change, transition and also insecurity in which many established certainties are suddenly questioned and challenged. Authoritarian governments as in for example Russia, Turkey and China put a lot of pressure on western liberal democracies. Furthermore, people seem to be attracted by Islamist regimes in the Middle East today and even the European Union itself – after the ‘Brexit’ and dealing with the political differences concerning the refugee flows in Europe – is shook in its foundations. Due to all these reasons the 11th European Youth Parliament will come together in Hamburg and discuss the question: ‘Europe – a safe and secure haven?! We will discuss the question of security out of several perspectives.
The Committee on Migration will discuss the ongoing differences on how to deal with the refugee flows. The arrival of such a great amount of immigrants did cause far reaching changes for which we need political solutions.
For most people security seems to be related to a job and a safe income and therefore is one of the most important issues. In times of a persistently economical crises in many parts of Europe, the Commitee on Internal Economic Affairs will focus on the question how prosperity and economical growth can be brought back into the EU.
The Committee on Civil Rights will approach a totally different aspect of security. The digitalization of our everyday lives is an ongoing process. It offers many attractive opportunities for consumers and the economy. But at the same time costumer's privacy is less and less protected and firms (and also government agencies) are receiving sensitive private information about us. The Committee will explore the question what the EU can do about this situation, so that consumer's privacy and elementary civil rights will not be violated under the given circumstances.
A very obvious topic is the topic of foreign-policy security. With regard to the unsolved military conflicts for example in Ukraine or the fight against the so called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq the Committee on External Affairs will try to find solutions for improving the people's security within the EU.
As already mentioned at the beginning, the EU as an institution has to ask itself how it can be more attractive to its population. The Brexit must be seen as a sign that the citizens are very skeptical about the EU institutions. Part of the people see the EU as kind of a project for the elite,taking itself too self-important and therefore the EU is too far away from its actual people. So we will furthermore discuss the question how the EU as an institution can be brought back onto the winning track and confirm its own safe future.
During the last couple of years, several protest movements came up within the European Union as for example “Podemos” in Spain or the “Syriza-Party” in Greece. Due to the possible European solutions for overcoming the financial crises since 2008 - which is regarded as unequal by many EU citizens (Remember bank bailouts!) - many people experience cutbacks in social services and therefore straitened circumstances. How can the EU react appropriate in terms of those protest movements? This topic will be approached by the Committee on Social Security.
The connection between establishing the natural necessities of life and consolidating global (but also European) security is obvious. In regions where – caused by the climate change – natural resources are getting destroyed, the affected people will leave their country and become refugees. Although the environmental problems and its consequences have been recognized a long time ago, sustainable solutions for fighting the climate change are not detectable. That is why the Committee on Environmental Affairs will try to develop new possible solutions.
Contrary to Fukuyamas claim ('The End of History') one should state that is history is still being written. But it is the people's ideas and beliefs- especially the young generation's enthusiasm- that need to continue writing history.
So that is why we say:Let's develop ideas! Let's write history!
